Mayor of London, who is leading a trade delegation to China at the same time as the Chancellor, said he broadly welcomed progress being made

Boris Johnson meets local shoppers at a Huton, a traditional Chinese shopping area near Nanluogy Xiang in Beijing

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Boris Johnson has voiced doubts over the Chancellor’s plans to relax visa rules for Chinese visitors to Britain.

Earlier George Osborne had announced a change to the rules which meant Chinese visitors would be able to apply for a UK visa by filling out a form that would in the past have got them into 26 European countries under the Schengen agreement, but not the UK.

But the Mayor of London, who is leading a trade delegation to China at the same time as Mr Osborne, said it was not clear whether Chinese visitors would still need to fill out the Schengen form and the UK form.

He told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “We will have to see how this scheme actually works. The detail is a little bit unclear to us at the moment.

“I’m initially obviously very supportive and would hope that it will make sure that we are able to get large numbers of Chinese students, of tourists, people who are going to bring who are going to bring income to our city.

“It’s not clear that it’s a single form either because there seems to be two forms but at least they are moving, at least they are showing signs of progress and that’s what I want to see as well.”

Mr Johnson did not voice his concerns during a speech at Beijing’s Peking University this morning when he shared a platform with the Chancellor, hours after the changes to visa rules were announced.

After the speech they were all smiles as Mr Osborne described the pair as being like “the yin and the yang”, while Mr Johnson said they were like “a pair of harmonious doves”.

But the Mayor’s comments will raise further questions over the timing of the Chancellor’s visit – revealed after Mr Johnson’s plans.

During a speech at the university, the Chancellor urged the West not to harbour “outdated” and “nervous” attitudes about China as he announced the changes to visa rules.

Mr Osborne later stressed the need for a better understanding of China to harness the potential economic benefits of trade with the country, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Britons sometimes see it as “a sweatshop on the Pearl River”.

Home Secretary Theresa May, who has led a crackdown on “bogus” student visas, said Britain would continue to make improvements to the visa system to allow more Chinese visitors into the country.

And Mr Johnson stressed the changes did not amount to a slackening of the border but merely created a more sensible system to smooth the passage for those who “have a lot to contribute”.

The Mayor was in a jovial mood at the university where he concluded that fictional British wizard Harry Potter’s first kiss with Chinese Hogwarts student Cho Chang illustrated the future for London and the UK.

Drawing laughs from the crowd of Chinese students, he said: “Who according to JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter novels, was Harry Potter’s first girlfriend? Who is the first person he kisses? That’s right, Cho Chang – who is a Chinese overseas student at Hogwarts school.

“Ladies and gents I rest my case. I don’t think I need to argue any further, that is the future of Britain and of London.”

The CBI and British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) all welcomed the changes to visa rules.